All of the applications of requests were submitted by the due date of Jan. 30 and we are pleased to say that we received seven applications, which is great.”

Heather Patel, the city’s program and resource manager

By Richard Dyer
Twitter: @RHDyer

Seven nonprofit organizations are seeking a total of $157,500 in health and human services funding from the City of Apache Junction.

A commission made up of volunteers will make a recommendation in April or May to the City Council on which ones should receive fiscal year 2020-21 funding.

“All of the applications of requests were submitted by the due date of Jan. 30 and we are pleased to say that we received seven applications, which is great,” Heather Patel, the city’s program and resource manager, said at the Feb. 24 meeting of the Health and Human Services Commission.

In previous years, $80,000 to $85,000 has been earmarked in the city’s budget, she said.

“It doesn’t mean that’s what we’re going to get this year. It could be less, it could be more,” Ms. Patel said.

Funding requests, according to a presentation she made at the meeting, are:

• Apache Junction Community Development Corp., $24,000 for community revitalization, playground projects, transport, sign removal, Make a Difference Day and a brick memorial.
• Boys and Girls Club of the East Valley, $35,000, for staff that will provide programs.
• Community Alliance Against Family Abuse, $18,000, for intervention services, Commissioner Syri L. Gerstner said at the meeting.
• Empowerment Systems, $16,000, for outreach and a laundry-service program.
• Genesis Project, $12,000, for operations.
• Horizon Health and Wellness, $25,000, for mental health first aid training.
• Superstition Food Bank (formerly known as Apache Junction Food Bank), $27,500, for operations.

During the March 23 Health and Human Services Commission meeting, each applicant will be asked to present a formal presentation, Ms. Patel said.

“Take five minutes just to talk about their project and address the questions you have this evening at that time. They will not be able to address them this evening,” she said. “And then certainly if one of the questions is [to] provide a certain document or provide something, they can send it in to me prior to the next meeting and I will have it for you in the packet so you will be able to look at that information as well.”

Commissioner Judy Borey said it appeared that different funding sources would be used for the projects identified by the Apache Junction Community Development Corp. and that they should be clarified.

“It may be different for, say, playground projects vs. Make a Difference Day,” she said.

“Just really being more specific, more detailed, so we can understand,” Commission Chair Mary Erickson said. “It looks like some of these projects really would benefit the citizens of our community, but without more information, it’s very difficult for us to make an informed decision on funding.”

Commissioner Sharleen Daniels said clarification was needed on Empowerment Systems’ application.

“It would just be nice to hear clarification on how they work together with Genesis Project and how it’s separate and if the money is going to the same thing for both or different for each project that’s going on,” she said.

The commission will make its final considerations during the April or May meetings and present a recommendation to the City Council during a regularly scheduled council meeting in May or June, Ms. Patel said.

The commission conducts public hearings to determine the needs of city residents with regard to public health, provision of human services and care of the elderly, handicapped and developmentally disabled. Its next meeting is 6 p.m. Monday, March 24, at the City Council Chambers, 300 E. Superstition Blvd.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley
@RHDyer

rdyer@iniusa.org

Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia, Inc.. USA, since 1987. Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions. He also is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows